19: Outer sect competition, a narrow victory

The entire martial arts arena fell into a suffocating silence.

Time seemed to freeze.

The wind stopped, and all sounds vanished.

Everyone's movements were paused from the previous second, some with mouths open, some with eyes wide, some leaning forward.

That silence lasted for a full ten breaths.

Then.

Boom—!!!

As if a whole basin of ice water had been poured into boiling oil, the crowd erupted!

"One... one punch?"

An Outer Sect Disciple rubbed his eyes vigorously, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Just one damn punch?!"

"Senior Brother Wang Kun, Qi Refining Stage 6, just like that... gone?"

"I saw him with my own eyes yesterday, beaten like a dead dog! What on earth is going on?!"

"Monster! He's absolutely a monster!"

Doubt, shock, fear, and even a hint of fanaticism stemming from the unknown, intertwined to form a massive net, completely enveloping the martial arts arena.

Everyone's gaze was fixed, as if nailed, on the figure in the center of the arena.

Lin Gou still stood, his posture unchanged.

He slowly withdrew his fist, looked down at it, seemingly savoring the feeling from earlier.

"Tsk, I was still too impulsive."

His face was calm, but his heart was bleeding.

"I had planned for him to hit me a few more times, ideally breaking seven or eight of my ribs, to create a tragic sense of a last-ditch counter-kill."

"But he swore too much, I couldn't hold back, and I knocked him out with one punch."

"With this punch, the planned B-grade 'Seriously Injured Counter-Kill' reward was directly downgraded to a C-grade 'Face-Slapping Satisfaction Point.' What a loss! A huge loss!"

Above the high platform.

The expressions on the faces of the Elders were truly a sight to behold.

The white-haired old man's hand, which had been stroking his beard, froze in mid-air, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented intensity of interest.

Another middle-aged Elder, who was close with Wang Kun's uncle, had a face as dark as water, and his gaze towards Lin Gou carried an undisguised chilling intent.

As for Zhao Linger, her clear, autumn-water-like eyes were now filled with an indescribable shock.

She tightly clutched the corner of her clothes, her knuckles slightly white from the excessive force.

It came again.

That feeling again!

In Blackwind Valley, he "died" repeatedly, and then "resurrected" each time in a stronger form.

Today, he was severely injured in public, everyone thought he was crippled, but in the blink of an eye, he was able to instantly kill an equally strong opponent with one punch!

This had completely transcended the realm of "extraordinary talent" or "hidden strength."

This was a... peculiar phenomenon, almost like a natural law, that she could not comprehend or even imagine.

Below the arena, the Disciples from the Medical Hall frantically carried the unconscious Wang Kun onto a stretcher and hastily departed.

The steward cleared his throat, his gaze towards Lin Gou becoming incredibly complex, and he took a deep breath before announcing loudly.

"This round, Lin Gou wins!"

Lin Gou bowed slightly towards the high platform, then turned and walked off the arena.

Wherever he passed, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, instinctively retreating to both sides, clearing a path.

Gaze after gaze, whether respectful, jealous, or inquisitive, followed him closely.

He became the focus of the Outer Sect.

And also the public enemy of the Outer Sect.

Fatty Zhang finally squeezed through the crowd, his chubby face flushed red, too excited to speak coherently.

"Gou... Gou Ge! You... you're simply not human!"

Lin Gou patted his shoulder, revealing a gentle smile.

"Just a fluke."

"Don't bother me, I'm busy."

His gaze subtly swept over several powerful figures in the crowd.

"Who should I choose as the next money-giving child?"

These were all popular candidates for this minor competition, most of them at Qi Refining Stage 6.

"Defeating them, the reward is mediocre."

"But... being defeated by them also seems pretty good."

"Hmm, how to lose to maximize profit, this is a topic worth in-depth research."

In the following matches, Lin Gou's opponents were all elites of the Outer Sect.

Facing Scarface, a Disciple at Qi Refining Stage 6 Middle Stage, Lin Gou once again performed a "close call" act.

He no longer defeated his opponents in one move.

Instead, he pushed Swift Wind Steps to its limit, his figure transforming into afterimages on the arena, narrowly dodging the opponent's torrential blade techniques.

To the onlookers, he seemed like a small boat in stormy seas, always on the verge of capsizing.

"It seems he's just like that, fast, but lacking in strength and spiritual power."

"Exactly, that punch against Wang Kun must have used some secret technique with a huge price, and now he's running out of steam."

Discussions arose again, and many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A strong person who could be understood was much easier to accept than an incomprehensible monster.

Only Scarface, at this moment, was inwardly groaning in distress.

He felt like a monkey being played with.

No matter how tricky and ruthless his blade techniques were, the opponent always dodged by a hair's breadth, sending shivers down his spine.

That composure, that ease, did not at all look like he was at a disadvantage!

"This set of blade techniques is good, called 'Gale Blade Technique,' right? The blade moves are fierce and powerful, quite interesting."

Lin Gou dodged while rapidly assessing in his mind.

"If I were to be cut down by him, I wonder if the System would reward me with this set of blade techniques?"

"Forget it, the risk is still a bit too high."

"What if he loses control and cuts off my head? Although I would definitely revive, the scene would be too bloody, affecting my carefully cultivated low-profile persona. Not worth it."

With this thought, Lin Gou no longer hesitated.

In a fleeting moment of passing by, he keenly grasped a tiny flaw in the opponent's flowing blade momentum.

He flicked his finger lightly.

A highly condensed spiritual power precisely struck the back of the opponent's blade.

Buzz!

The long blade let out a mournful cry, and a tricky force wildly transmitted along the blade. Scarface felt his arm violently shake, his tiger's mouth split open, almost unable to hold the blade.

It was this momentary pause.

Lin Gou's figure, like a ghost, closed in, lightly pressing a palm against his chest.

The force wasn't great.

Yet, it made him feel as if struck by lightning, his internal Qi and blood instantly surged in disorder, causing him to stagger back several steps and fall to the ground.

"I... I lost."

Scarface's face was pale, his eyes filled only with deep reverence.

Lin Gou cupped his hands.

"Thank you for the match."

He walked off the arena, returned to his corner, and closed his eyes to rest.

The entire process was smooth and under his complete control.

On the high platform, Zhao Linger's beautiful eyes shone with increasing brilliance as she watched.

She became even more certain.

This Lin Gou must be hiding a huge secret within him, one that could overturn the entire Cultivation World's understanding.

And this secret was exerting a fatal attraction on her.